Rethinking participation in the Aarhus as European Capital of Culture 2017 project

This paper examines the relationship between cultural participation and regional development with reference to the European Capital of Culture in 2017. From the bidding stage, Aarhus 2017 claimed it put “participation” at the heart of its strategic plans, through consultation at roadshows and exhibitions. In addition, it aspired to use culture as a catalyst for development not only in the city of Aarhus but across the region of Central Denmark. This paper, therefore, examines how participation is defined and implemented to address regional development in the Aarhus 2017 process through textual analysis of documentation from Aarhus 2017 and delivery partners as well as over 20 interviews with managers and participants involved in a range of 2017 projects. The paper argues against the common prioritisation of urban and professional cultural institutions and makes the case for decentralised cultural provision that supports both amateurs and professionals through a regional networked structure

Cultural mega-events and the enhancement of a city's image: differences between engaged participants and attendees

First published online: 11 Mar 2016.Acity’simagecanserveasthebasisuponwhichtodevelopastrong sense of community. This, in turn, fosters trust and cooperation which may attract tourists and investment, and drive regional economic growth. One strategy to enhance a city’s image is to host cultural mega-events. This study focuses on Guimarães, one of the European Capitals of Culture of 2012, and adopts a marketing communication perspective to explore issues of city image. The objective of the study reported was to understand whether images of Guimarães improved after it hosted the cultural mega-event. To attain this goal, we compare the perceptions of residents who participated in the event (engaged participants) and attendees. Several significant findings are reported and their implications for event managers and public policy administrators are presented, along with the limitations of the study.La imagen de una ciudad puede servir de base a partir de la que desarrollar un fuerte sentido de comunidad. Esto, a su vez, fomenta la confianza y la cooperación, que pueden atraer turistas e inversión y dirigir el crecimiento económico regional. Una estrategia para mejorar la imagen de una ciudad es albergar grandes eventos culturales. Este estudio se centra en Guimarães, una de las Capitales Europeas de la Cultura (European Capitals of Culture-ECOC-) de 2012, y adopta una perspectiva de comunicación de marketing para explorar la imagen de la ciudad. El objetivo del estudio era comprender si la imagen de Guimarães mejoró después de acoger el gran evento cultural. Para lograr este objetivo, hemos comparado las percepciones de los residentes que participaron en el evento (participantes comprometidos) y los asistentes. Se muestran algunos resultados importantes y se presentan sus implicaciones para los gestores de eventos y los administradores de políticas públicas, junto con las limitaciones del estudio.L’image d’une ville peut être le socle du renforcement d’un sentiment d’appartenance communautaire. Ceci, à son tour, favorise la confiance et la coopération susceptibles d’attirer les touristes et les investisseurs, en vue de stimuler la croissance économique régionale. La meilleure stratégie visant à renforcer l’image d’une ville est d’accueillir de grands événements culturels. La présente étude porte sur Guimarães, l’une des capitales européennes de la culture (CEC) de 2012, et adopte une approche communicative de marketing pour explorer les questions de l’image de la ville. L’objectif de l’étude était de comprendre si les images de Guimarães se améliorées après le méga-événement culturel y soit organisé. Pour atteindre cet objectif, nous avons comparé les perceptions des résidents qui ont participé à l’événement (des participants engagés) et les participants ordinaires. Plusieurs résultats importants ont été enregistrés et leurs implications pour les organisateurs d’événements et les administrateurs des politiques publiques ont été identifiés, ainsi que les limites de l’étude.城市形象是发展社区感的基础，同时也能加强信任与合作，吸引游客和投资，促进区域经济发展。而举办文化节事活动则是提升城市形象的重要措施之一。本文以2012欧洲文化之都(ECOC)之一的Guimarães为例，从营销传播视角探讨城市形象问题。通过比较参与节事的居民（参与人）和与会者的感知，探究Guimarães的城市形象在文化节事举办之后是否得到提升。文中展示了研究的主要发现及其对节事管理者和政府行政管理者的实践建议，也指出了研究存在的局限。Compete 2020, Portugal 2020, Feder, FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

‘No cultural policy to speak of': Liverpool 2008

Recent academic work on European Capital of Culture (ECoC) has fallen into two broad categories: either evaluative, based on assessing the effectiveness of hosting ECoC for policy agendas; or critical, questioning the rationale behind ECoC and its impact on the cities that have held the title. However, little attention has been paid to the role ECOC has played in the ‘modernisation’ of urban governance, particularly in the UK. This article seeks to explore ECoC’s role in city governance by examining the specific case of Liverpool, ECoC 2008 and the related local government agencies in the city, particularly Liverpool City Council (LCC). A narrative of the history of cultural policy within LCC, using institutionalist theory, shows that cultural policy has had a difficult evolution within a city that was initially reluctant to devote institutional capacity and resources to cultural matters. Problems in the build up to 2008 reflect the influence of ‘institutions’ in Liverpool’s political culture and history. The influence of these institutions is at the root of the uncertainty surrounding the long‐term viability of cultural policy in the city. As a corollary to the exploration of the role of institutions in Liverpool, a concluding discussion of ECoC’s role in city governance offers prospects for the cultural policy settlement within Liverpool in the post‐ECoC 2008 era, particularly focusing on the role of Liverpool’s cultural sector as a motivator for cultural policy

Planning culture and time in a mega-event: Thessaloniki as the European City of Culture in 1997

This paper addresses the growing importance of mega-events in urban cultural development, focusing on the atypical example of the European Cities of Culture, in particular Thessaloniki in 1997. The launch of the event demonstrates the significance of the international role of cultural activities in urban and economic regeneration. Comparison of the evaluation of Thessaloniki before and after the event demonstrates a lack of strategic planning, particularly cultural and time planning, resulting in a variety of interconnected problems such as the construction of flagship projects, the lack of a city marketing perspective and the need for a tourism policy. © 2005 Taylor & Francis

Mega-events and the Preservation of Urban Heritage: Literature Gaps, Potential Overlaps, and a Call for Further Research

Despite mega-events being long perceived as great opportunities by urban policy makers, several cities have recently withdrawn bids for the Olympic games. The disconnect between the planning of mega-events and the urban environment is a reoccurring argument in public debate, but missing in research. In this article, we consider how the relationship between mega-events and urban heritage has been discussed in literature, examining the gaps and potential overlaps, why they exist, and further argue the need to bridge disciplines. In conclusion, we outline new perspectives for studying and learning from the crossroad of the two policy fields, namely, cultural mega-events